Self-service is a hit. From gas stations to banks to grocery stores--it has become table stakes for retailers who aim to satisfy an increasingly independent consumer. Libraries are no exception, and, in fact, with their card catalog past, they may well have been in the vanguard in enabling customers to find what they want on their own. Card…

This article identifies 13 cultural trends that libraries can turn into opportunites to reach patrons. These trends include: Twitter, online reputation management, value added content, mobile marketing, and emotional connection.

No other category of library materials has grown more quickly in the last several decades than audiovisual (AV), nor has any other category undergone so many changes in format. The transitions from vinyl records to 8-tracks to audiocassettes to CDs and from film reel to 3/4" U-Matic to VHS to DVD have impacted library services tremendously. The…

Reprints five articles originally published between 1933 and 1983 showing that the library field was ready to use technology: "People and Machines: Changing Relationships?" (S. Michael Malinconico); "Guilds or Technocracy?" (Margery C. Quigley); "The Librarian and the Machine" (Jesse H. Shera); "From the…

Examines how librarians are customizing their services and collections for handheld computing. Discusses the widest adoption of PDAs (personal digital assistants) in libraries that serve health and medical communities; PDA-friendly information pages; the reference focus; journals and databases; lending materials; publicity; use of PDAs by library…

Describes a program at the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville (SUNY-Morrisville) developed with IBM called ThinkPad University that integrates computers into the teaching and learning environment. Explains a partnership with Raytheon that provides wireless connectivity; and discusses changes in…

The author of this article, a card-carrying member of the American Library Association (ALA), discusses her views on how difficult it is for some leaders to accept that this is the 21st century. She feels that people do not need to choose between blogs and printed text, because people can read both. She also feels that library shelves have room…

Describes six trends in current library facilities design, whether for new buildings or renovations: self-service and operational efficiency; flexibility and technology integration; green/sustainable buildings that use the natural environment; collaboration between public and school/college libraries; aesthetics; and customizing to the local…